Device abstraction system and method for a distributed-architecture heating, ventilation and air conditioning system

ABSTRACT

The disclosure provides an HVAC data processing and communication network and a method of manufacturing the same. In an embodiment, the method includes configuring a user interface to receive a first parameter setting associated with a system device. The user interface is further configured to send a message to the system device including the first parameter setting. The user interface is further configured to receive from the system device a second parameter setting that is dependent on the first parameter setting. The user interface is further configured to make the second parameter setting available for viewing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/167,135, filed by Grohman, et al., on Apr. 6, 2009, entitled“Comprehensive HVAC Control System,” and U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 61/852,676, filed by Grohman, et al., on Apr. 7, 2009, bearingthe same title, and is also a continuation-in-part application ofapplication Ser. No. 12/258,659, filed by Grohman on Oct. 27, 2008 nowabandoned, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Controlling anEnvironmental Conditioning Unit,” all of which are commonly assignedwith this application and incorporated herein by reference. Thisapplication is also related to the following U.S. patent applications,which are filed on even date herewith, commonly assigned with thisapplication and incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application is directed, in general, to HVAC systems and, morespecifically, to a system controller and methods of use thereof.

BACKGROUND

Climate control systems, also referred to as HVAC systems (the two termswill be used herein interchangeably), are employed to regulate thetemperature, humidity and air quality of premises, such as a residence,office, store, warehouse, vehicle, trailer, or commercial orentertainment venue. The most basic climate control systems either moveair (typically by means of an air handler having a fan or blower), heatair (typically by means of a furnace) or cool air (typically by means ofa compressor-driven refrigerant loop). A thermostat is typicallyincluded in a conventional climate control system to provide some levelof automatic temperature and humidity control. In its simplest form, athermostat turns the climate control system on or off as a function of adetected temperature. In a more complex form, the thermostat may takeother factors, such as humidity or time, into consideration. Still,however, the operation of a thermostat remains turning the climatecontrol system on or off in an attempt to maintain the temperature ofthe premises as close as possible to a desired set point temperature.Climate control systems as described above have been in wide use sincethe middle of the twentieth century and have, to date, generallyprovided adequate temperature management.

SUMMARY

One aspect provides a method of manufacturing an HVAC data processingand communication network. In an embodiment, the method includesconfiguring a user interface to receive a first parameter settingassociated with a system device. The user interface is furtherconfigured to send a message to the system device including the firstparameter setting. The user interface is further configured to receivefrom the system device a second parameter setting that is dependent onthe first parameter setting. The user interface is further configured tomake the second parameter setting available for viewing.

Another aspect provides a HVAC data processing and communicationnetwork. In an embodiment, a user interface is configured to receive afirst parameter setting associated with a system device. The userinterface is further configured to send a message to the system deviceincluding the first parameter setting. The user interface is furtherconfigured to receive from the system device a second parameter settingthat is dependent on the first parameter setting. The user interface isfurther configured to make the second parameter setting available forviewing.

Yet another aspect provides HVAC data processing and communicationnetwork. In an embodiment, the network includes a subnet controller anda user interface. The subnet controller is configured to receive a firstmessage including environmental data. The user interface is configuredto receive a second message including the environmental data from thecontroller. The user interface is further configured to display theenvironmental data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a high-level block diagram of an HVAC system according tovarious embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram of one embodiment of an HVAC dataprocessing and communication network;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a local controller of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a networked HVAC system device of thedisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a representative physical layerinterface;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate example configurations of a networked HVACsystem;

FIG. 7 illustrates a method of manufacturing an HVAC data processing andcommunication network;

FIG. 8 illustrates bus connections between two subnets;

FIG. 9 illustrates a method of manufacturing an HVAC data processing acommunication network to display messages in one or more of a pluralityof languages;

FIG. 10 illustrates an example protocol stack;

FIG. 11 is a method of conveying information related to relativehumidity to a display screen;

FIG. 12 is a method of updating installer parameters;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example diagram of states of the HVAC system;

FIG. 14 is a method of automatically updating a device parameter;

FIG. 15 is a method of displaying parameter dependencies; and

FIG. 16 is a method of manufacturing the HVAC system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As stated above, conventional climate control systems have been in wideuse since the middle of the twentieth century and have, to date,generally provided adequate temperature management. However, it has beenrealized that more sophisticated control and data acquisition andprocessing techniques may be developed and employed to improve theinstallation, operation and maintenance of climate control systems.

Described herein are various embodiments of an improved climate control,or HVAC, system in which at least multiple components thereofcommunicate with one another via a data bus. The communication allowsidentity, capability, status and operational data to be shared among thecomponents. In some embodiments, the communication also allows commandsto be given. As a result, the climate control system may be moreflexible in terms of the number of different premises in which it may beinstalled, may be easier for an installer to install and configure, maybe easier for a user to operate, may provide superior temperature and/orrelative humidity (RH) control, may be more energy efficient, may beeasier to diagnose, may require fewer, simpler repairs and may have alonger service life.

FIG. 1 is a high-level block diagram of a networked HVAC system,generally designated 100. The HVAC system 100 may be referred to hereinsimply as “system 100” for brevity. In one embodiment, the system 100 isconfigured to provide ventilation and therefore includes one or more airhandlers 110. In an alternative embodiment, the ventilation includes oneor more dampers 115 to control air flow through air ducts (not shown.)Such control may be used in various embodiments in which the system 100is a zoned system. In an alternative embodiment, the system 100 isconfigured to provide heating and therefore includes one or morefurnaces 120, typically associated with the one or more air handlers110. In an alternative embodiment, the system 100 is configured toprovide cooling and therefore includes one or more refrigerantevaporator coils 130, typically associated with the one or more airhandlers 110. Such embodiment of the system 100 also includes one ormore compressors 140 and associated condenser coils 142, which aretypically associated with one or more so-called “outdoor units” 144. Theone or more compressors 140 and associated condenser coils 142 aretypically connected to an associated evaporator coil 130 by arefrigerant line 146. In an alternative embodiment, the system 100 isconfigured to provide ventilation, heating and cooling, in which casethe one or more air handlers 110, furnaces 120 and evaporator coils 130are associated with one or more “indoor units” 148, e.g., basement orattic units that may also include an air handler.

For convenience in the following discussion, a demand unit 155 isrepresentative of the various units exemplified by the air handler 110,furnace 120, and compressor 140, and more generally includes an HVACcomponent that provides a service in response to control by the controlunit 150. The service may be, e.g., heating, cooling, humidification,dehumidification, or air circulation. A demand unit 155 may provide morethan one service, and if so, one service may be a primary service, andanother service may be an ancillary service. For example, for a heatingunit that also circulates air, the primary service may be heating, andthe ancillary service may be air circulation (e.g. by a blower).

The demand unit 155 may have a maximum service capacity associatedtherewith. For example, the furnace 120 may have a maximum heat output(often expressed in terms of British Thermal Units (BTU) or Joules), ora blower may have a maximum airflow capacity (often expressed in termsof cubic feet per minute (CFM) or cubic meters per minute (CMM)). Insome cases, the demand unit 155 may be configured to provide a primaryor ancillary service in staged portions. For example, blower may havetwo or more motor speeds, with a CFM value associated with each motorspeed.

One or more control units 150 control one or more of the one or more airhandlers 110, the one or more furnaces 120 and/or the one or morecompressors 140 to regulate the temperature of the premises, at leastapproximately. In various embodiments to be described, the one or moredisplays 170 provide additional functions such as operational,diagnostic and status message display and an attractive, visualinterface that allows an installer, user or repairman to perform actionswith respect to the system 100 more intuitively. Herein, the term“operator” will be used to refer collectively to any of the installer,the user and the repairman unless clarity is served by greaterspecificity.

One or more separate comfort sensors 160 may be associated with the oneor more control units 150 and may also optionally be associated with oneor more displays 170. The one or more comfort sensors 160 provideenvironmental data, e.g. temperature and/or humidity, to the one or morecontrol units 150. An individual comfort sensor 160 may be physicallylocated within a same enclosure or housing as the control unit 150, in amanner analogous with a conventional HVAC thermostat. In such cases, thecommonly housed comfort sensor 160 may be addressed independently.However, the one or more comfort sensors 160 may be located separatelyand physically remote from the one or more control units 150. Also, anindividual control unit 150 may be physically located within a sameenclosure or housing as a display 170, again analogously with aconventional HVAC thermostat. In such embodiments, the commonly housedcontrol unit 150 and display 170 may each be addressed independently.However, one or more of the displays 170 may be located within thesystem 100 separately from and/or physically remote to the control units150. The one or more displays 170 may include a screen such as a liquidcrystal or OLED display (not shown).

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the HVAC system 100 may include one ormore heat pumps in lieu of or in addition to the one or more furnaces120, and one or more compressors 140. One or more humidifiers ordehumidifiers may be employed to increase or decrease humidity. One ormore dampers may be used to modulate air flow through ducts (not shown).Air cleaners and lights may be used to reduce air pollution. Air qualitysensors may be used to determine overall air quality.

Finally, a data bus 180, which in the illustrated embodiment is a serialbus, couples the one or more air handlers 110, the one or more furnaces120, the one or more evaporator condenser coils 142 and compressors 140,the one or more control units 150, the one or more remote comfortsensors 160 and the one or more displays 170 such that data may becommunicated therebetween or thereamong. As will be understood, the databus 180 may be advantageously employed to convey one or more alarmmessages or one or more diagnostic messages. All or some parts of thedata bus 180 may be implemented as a wired or wireless network.

The data bus 180 in some embodiments is implemented using the Bosch CAN(Controller Area Network) specification, revision 2, and may besynonymously referred to herein as a residential serial bus (RSBus) 180.The data bus 180 provides communication between or among theaforementioned elements of the network 200. It should be understood thatthe use of the term “residential” is nonlimiting; the network 200 may beemployed in any premises whatsoever, fixed or mobile. Other embodimentsof the data bus 180 are also contemplated, including e.g., a wirelessbus, as mentioned previously, and 2-, 3- or 4-wire networks, includingIEEE-1394 (Firewire™, i.LINK™, Lynx™), Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus(e.g., USB 1.x, 2.x, 3.x), or similar standards. In wirelessembodiments, the data bus 180 may be implemented, e.g., usingBluetooth™, Zigbee or a similar wireless standard.

FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram of one embodiment of an HVAC dataprocessing and communication network 200 that may be employed in theHVAC system 100 of FIG. 1. One or more air handler controllers (AHCs)210 may be associated with the one or more air handlers 110 of FIG. 1.One or more integrated furnace controllers (IFCs) 220 may be associatedwith the one or more furnaces 120. One or more damper controller modules215, also referred to herein as a zone controller module 215, may beassociated with the one or more dampers 115. One or more unitarycontrollers 225 may be associated with one or more evaporator coils 130and one or more condenser coils 142 and compressors 140 of FIG. 1. Thenetwork 200 includes an active subnet controller (aSC) 230 a and aninactive subnet controller (iSC) 230 i. The aSC 230 a may act as anetwork controller of the system 100. The aSC 230 a is responsible forconfiguring and monitoring the system 100 and for implementation ofheating, cooling, humidification, dehumidification, air quality,ventilation or any other functional algorithms therein. Two or more aSCs230 a may also be employed to divide the network 200 into subnetworks,or subnets, simplifying network configuration, communication andcontrol. Each subnet typically contains one indoor unit, one outdoorunit, a number of different accessories including humidifier,dehumidifier, electronic air cleaner, filter, etc., and a number ofcomfort sensors, subnet controllers and user interfaces. The iSC 230 iis a subnet controller that does not actively control the network 200.In some embodiments, the iSC 230 i listens to all messages broadcastover the data bus 180, and updates its internal memory to match that ofthe aSC 230 a. In this manner, the iSC 230 i may backup parametersstored by the aSC 230 a, and may be used as an active subnet controllerif the aSC 230 a malfunctions. Typically there is only one aSC 230 a ina subnet, but there may be multiple iSCs therein, or no iSC at all.Herein, where the distinction between an active or a passive SC is notgermane the subnet controller is referred to generally as an SC 230.

A user interface (UI) 240 provides a means by which an operator maycommunicate with the remainder of the network 200. In an alternativeembodiment, a user interface/gateway (UI/G) 250 provides a means bywhich a remote operator or remote equipment may communicate with theremainder of the network 200. Such a remote operator or equipment isreferred to generally as a remote entity. A comfort sensor interface260, referred to herein interchangeably as a comfort sensor (CS) 260,may provide an interface between the data bus 180 and each of the one ormore comfort sensors 160. The comfort sensor 260 may provide the aSC 230a with current information about environmental conditions inside of theconditioned space, such as temperature, humidity and air quality.

For ease of description, any of the networked components of the HVACsystem 100, e.g., the air handler 110, the damper 115, the furnace 120,the outdoor unit 144, the control unit 150, the comfort sensor 160, thedisplay 170, may be described in the following discussion as having alocal controller 290. The local controller 290 may be configured toprovide a physical interface to the data bus 180 and to provide variousfunctionality related to network communication. The SC 230 may beregarded as a special case of the local controller 290, in which the SC230 has additional functionality enabling it to control operation of thevarious networked components, to manage aspects of communication amongthe networked components, or to arbitrate conflicting requests fornetwork services among these components. While the local controller 290is illustrated as a stand-alone networked entity in FIG. 2, it istypically physically associated with one of the networked componentsillustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a high-level block diagram of the local controller290. The local controller 290 includes a physical layer interface (PLI)310, a non-volatile memory (NVM) 320, a RAM 330, a communication module340 and a functional block 350 that may be specific to the demand unit155, e.g., with which the local controller 290 is associated. The PLI310 provides an interface between a data network, e.g., the data bus180, and the remaining components of the local controller 290. Thecommunication module 340 is configured to broadcast and receive messagesover the data network via the PLI 310. The functional block 350 mayinclude one or more of various components, including without limitationa microprocessor, a state machine, volatile and nonvolatile memory, apower transistor, a monochrome or color display, a touch panel, abutton, a keypad and a backup battery. The local controller 290 may beassociated with a demand unit 155, and may provide control thereof viathe functional block 350, e.g. The NVM 320 provides local persistentstorage of certain data, such as various configuration parameters, asdescribed further below. The RAM 330 may provide local storage of valuesthat do not need to be retained when the local controller 290 isdisconnected from power, such as results from calculations performed bycontrol algorithms. Use of the RAM 330 advantageously reduces use of theNVM cells that may degrade with write cycles.

In some embodiments, the data bus 180 is implemented over a 4-wirecable, in which the individual conductors are assigned as follows:

R—the “hot”—a voltage source, 24 VAC, e.g.

C—the “common”—a return to the voltage source.

i+—RSBus High connection.

i−—RSBus Low connection.

The disclosure recognizes that various innovative system managementsolutions are needed to implement a flexible, distributed-architectureHVAC system, such as the system 100. More specifically, cooperativeoperation of devices in the system 100, such as the air handler 110,outdoor unit 144, or UI 240 is improved by various embodiments presentedherein. More specifically still, embodiments are presented of treatingHVAC components abstractly in a manner that decouples the HVAC physicallayer from the HVAC logical or network layer. In many cases, moresophisticated control of the HVAC system is possible than inconventional systems, allowing expanded feature availability to the userand more efficient operation of the system.

FIG. 4 illustrates a system device 410 according to the disclosure. Thesystem device 410 may be referred to briefly herein as a “device 410”without any loss of generality. The following description pertains tothe HVAC data processing and communication network 200 that is made upof a number of system devices 410 operating cooperatively to provideHVAC functions. Herein after the system device 410 is referred to morebriefly as the device 410 without any loss of generality. The term“device” applies to any component of the system 100 that is configuredto communicate with other components of the system 100 over a wired orwireless network. Thus, the device 410 may be, e.g., the air handler 110in combination with its AHC 210, or the furnace 120 in combination withits IFC 220. This discussion may refer to a generic device 410 or to adevice 410 with a specific recited function as appropriate. Anappropriate signaling protocol may be used to govern communication ofone device with another device. While the function of various devices410 in the network 200 may differ, each device 410 shares a commonarchitecture for interfacing with other devices, e.g. the localcontroller 290 appropriately configured for the HVAC component 420 withwhich the local controller 290 is associated. The microprocessor orstate machine in the functional block 350 may operate to perform anytask for which the device 410 is responsible, including, withoutlimitation, sending and responding to messages via the data bus 180,controlling a motor or actuator, or performing calculations.

In various embodiments, signaling between devices 410 relies onmessages. Messages are data strings that convey information from onedevice 410 to another device 410. The purpose of various substrings orbits in the messages may vary depending on the context of the message.Generally, specifics regarding message protocols are beyond the scope ofthe present description. However, aspects of messages and messaging aredescribed when needed to provide context for the various embodimentsdescribed herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of the PLI 310. The PLI 310 includes aCAN-enabled microcontroller 510, a CAN transceiver 520, and atermination and protection circuit 530. The transceiver 520 constantlymonitors the RSbus 180, including during the transmission of its ownmessages. In many cases, this ability of the transceiver 520 to monitoritself is advantageous to determining a corrective action taken by thedevice 410 when arbitration is lost during a message arbitration phaseof bus communication, or when an error condition occurs.

In some embodiments, up to four subnets may be connected to a singleRSBus 180. Typically one aSC 230 a is connected to the RSBus 180 foreach subnet. For embodiments in which multiple subnet controllers 230are present in a single subnet, one of the subnet controllers istypically designated as the aSC 230 a and controls the subnet. Thus, insuch embodiments there may be up to four active subnet controllers onthe RSbus 180. The total number of devices 410 is typically limited bydesign choices to a maximum value. In some embodiments, the number ofdevices 410 connected to the RSBus 180 at any given time is limited to32. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the limit may begreater or fewer than 32. Moreover, while an integer power of 2 may bechosen for convenience, the number of devices 410 is not limited tonumbers in this set.

The PLI 310 includes resistors R₁ and R₂. In an example embodiment, R₁and R₂ are 60V-rated Positive Temperature Coefficient resistors and workas resettable fuses. Illustrative resistors include RXE010 by Raychem(Tyco), MF-R010 by Bourns, or 3610100600 by Wickmann, or equivalent. Aresistor R_(t) may be a 1% metal film resistor. R_(t) provides acomplement termination resistance to the differential input i+/i−. R₁,R_(t) and R₂ form a series resistance R_(term) at the differential inputthat provides a termination resistance to i+/i−. The value of R_(term)may be different for different devices 410. A capacitor C₁ provides EMIdecoupling of the differential input.

Diodes D₁, D₂, D₃ and D₄ provide transient voltage suppression. In anexample, D₁ D₂, D₃ and D₄ rated at 10V, 600 W. D₅ is an optional LEDthat provides visual feedback that the device 410 is capable ofreceiving a bus message. D₅ may be advantageously located adjacent aconnector that receives i+/i− on each device 410. In some embodiments,R₁, R₂, D₁, D₂, D₃, and D₄ are not used when an appropriately configuredtransceiver 520 is used.

It should be noted that a CAN transceiver, e.g., the transceiver 520,can draw significantly more current from V_(cc) when it is transmittinga dominant bit than when it is idle. Good design practice takes the peakload of the transceiver 520 into account when providing power thereto.In some embodiments, V_(cc) is 5V or greater to allow for the recessivestate of the RSbus 180 to be 2.5V.

The RSBus 180 provides the ability to connect multiple HVAC systems,e.g., multiple instances of the system 100, together on one bus. Whendone, it is preferred that the connection between the systems 100 ismade at a central interior location such as the furnace 120. It is alsopreferred in these embodiments to only connect i+/i− from each system100, while leaving the R and C wires unconnected. This approachrecognizes that each system 100 typically provides at least one separatetransformer to power the R and C lines associated with that system 100.The transformer is typically located with an indoor unit such as thefurnace 120 and also earth grounded there so it will often be convenientand most robust to connect the several data busses 180 at the locationof the furnaces 120 associated with the several systems 100.

Each device 410 may be configured to transmit data on the RSbus 180 atone or more data rates. In some embodiments, the devices 410 may beconfigured to use a selected one of a plurality of data rates that thedevice 410 is capable of supporting. For example, the device 410 may beconfigurable to communicate at about 10 k baud, 20 k baud, 33.3 k baud,40 k baud, 50 k baud, 62.5 k baud, 83.3 k baud, 100 k baud and 125 kbaud. In some embodiments, the network transmission speed is configuredto be about 40 k baud as a balance between transmission speed andreliability.

Communication between the devices 410 is generally governed by acommunication protocol. An example of a suitable protocol is provided bythe Bosch CAN network as defined by the Bosch CAN2.0B standard. While itis recognized that any suitable communications standard is contemplatedby the disclosure, this description refers without limitation to variousexample embodiments using the Bosch CAN standard.

The network allows for Peer-to-Peer (PTP) communication. Each device 410may communicate with another device 410 via a message. The Boschstandard provides, for example, a 29-bit message identifier which allowsfor up to 2²⁹ (536,870,912) unique messages to be defined and used. Thusa master bus controller is typically unnecessary. However, in variousembodiments the SC 230 controls HVAC functionality, storesconfigurations, and assigns addresses during system auto configuration,e.g.

In various embodiments, it may be convenient or may significantlysimplify system design to use various levels of abstraction with respectto components and data structures used in the system 100. Suchabstraction may simplify design and specification of the system 100, andmay provide a basis for communication between designers and between asystem manufacturer and installers or users of the system 100.

In an advantageous embodiment, the network 200 is configured so thateach device on the RSBus 180 is a logical device. A logical device is adevice that may be independently addressed for communication purposeswithin the network 200. A particular logical device may or may not bephysically co-located with another logical device. Thus in some cases adevice, for example without limitation the comfort sensor 260, may beembodied in a standalone physical device. In other cases the device maybe a “virtual” device, meaning the device is an integral part of acombination with another logical device while remaining independentlyaddressable. In one aspect, independently addressable devices areregarded as being coupled independently to the data bus 180. As anonlimiting example, a comfort sensor 260 may be integrated with asubnet controller 230. Each of the comfort sensor 260 and the subnetcontroller 230 are separate logical devices, though the combination mayappear as a single physical entity.

In one embodiment of the disclosure, the system 100 includes a logicalsubnet controller (LSC). In general, the subnet controller 230 is alogical part of a physical device 410 on the network 200. Functions ofthe SC may include configuration of the system 100 and implementation ofan HVAC control algorithm. The SC 230 may store system configurationinformation. In various embodiments, the SC 230 is physically located inan enclosure that also includes one or both of a comfort sensor 260 anda UI 240. However, the SC 203 may be placed with any other device 410 inthe network 200. If the network 200 includes more than one SC 230, anegotiation algorithm may determine which controller acts as the activesubnet controller 230 a. Those SC 230 that are not active may operate ina listen-only mode. The LSC is a virtual device that may be defined forany device 410. In some embodiments, it is preferred that the LSC isco-located with the UI 240.

FIG. 6A illustrates an example of an HVAC system subnet 600A. The subnet600A includes four devices configured to communicate over acommunication bus 610. In various embodiments the communication bus 610is an RSBus. The subnet 600A includes an indoor unit illustrated withoutlimitation as an instance of the IFC 220, an instance of the aSC 230 a,an instance of the UI 240, and an instance of the comfort sensor 260.These networked devices form a subnet. The UI 240 allows an operator tointeract with the networked devices, set temperature set points, etc.The comfort sensor 260 provides temperature information to other deviceson the subnet 600A. The comfort sensor 260 may include, e.g., atransducer that converts a temperature or RH to an electrical signal forfurther processing. The active subnet controller 230 a provides overallcontrol to the subnet 600A.

The subnet 600A illustrates a typical minimum set of functional elementsof a networked HVAC system of the disclosure, e.g., a controllingdevice, a controlled device, a feedback device and an operatorinterface. For example, in a temperate climate, a residential HVACsystem may have a means to heat the residence, but may not requirecooling. Thus, the furnace 120 may be sufficient to maintain year-roundcomfort in the residence. Other minimum HVAC systems are possible, aswill be apparent to one skilled in the pertinent art. For example, theIFC 220 could be replaced by heat pump controller, or the UI 240 couldbe replaced by the UI/G 250 to provide remote programmability.

FIG. 6B illustrates an embodiment of a more general case of a subnet,here designated 600B. In addition to the components of the subnet 600A,the subnet 600B includes an outdoor unit 144 and associated controller.The outdoor unit 144 may be, e.g., a heat pump or an air conditionalcompressor/condenser unit. An instance of the outdoor sensor 270 may beinstalled to provide outdoor temperature or humidity data to the aSC 230a for use in a control algorithm, e.g. An instance of the UI/G 250 mayprovide an interface between the subnet 600B and an externalcommunication network, e.g. the internet. Such connectivity provides ameans for control, configuration or data collection to an externalentity such as an installer or manufacturer.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method of the disclosure, generally denoted 700, ofmanufacturing an HVAC data processing and communication network, such asthe network 200. The method 700 is described without limitation withreference to components of the network 200. The method 700 begins with astep 710 that may be entered from any appropriate state of the system100. In a step 720, a controller, e.g., the SC 230, is configured tocontrol the device 410 via the data bus 180. In a step 725, the 230 isconfigured to be addressed over the data bus 180. In a step 730, anenvironmental sensor, e.g. the comfort sensor 260, is configured toprovide environmental data to the SC 230 via the data bus 180. In anoptional step 740, the comfort sensor 260 is further configured to beaddressed via the data bus 180 independently of the SC 230. For example,the SC 230 and the comfort sensor 260 may have different equipment typenumbers that are used to direct messages over the data bus 180. In astep 750, a user interface, e.g., the UI 240 or the UI/G 250, isconfigured to provide access by an operator to the network 200. Forexample, the UI 240 may allow manual parameter entry via a screen, andthe UI/G may allow parameter entry via a desktop computer configuredwith appropriate software. In a step 760, the user interface isconfigured to be addressed via the data bus 180 independently of the SC230 and the comfort sensor 260. Again, the user interface may beconfigured to have an equipment type number. The method 700 ends with astep 770.

Each of active subnet controller 230 a, user interface 240 and comfortsensor 260 can be embodied in an individual autonomous unit that may becoupled with the communication bus 610 anywhere within the structure,e.g., residence, in which the subnet 600A is installed. Thus, the subnetcontroller 230 a, the user interface 240 and the comfort sensor 260 arenot necessarily located together or even within the same indoor space.Alternatively, any two or more of subnet controller 230 a, userinterface 240 and comfort sensor 260 may be combined in a singlephysical control unit 620 and the remaining, if any, of the aSC 230 a,user interface 240 and comfort sensor 260 may be an individualautonomous unit. In this alternate embodiment, the combined unit (i.e.,any two or more of the aSC 230 a, user interface 240 and comfort sensor260) and the remaining, if any, of the aSC 230 a, user interface 240 andcomfort sensor 260 may be coupled with the communication bus 610anywhere within the subnet 600A. Whether or not any two or more of theaSC 230 a, user interface 240 and comfort sensor 260 are combined in asingle physical unit, the aSC 230 a, user interface 240 and comfortsensor 260 are logically separate devices as far as communication on thecommunication bus 610 is concerned. Similarly, the user interface 240and comfort sensor 260 are logically separate devices as far ascommunication on the bus 610 is concerned. They may be housed togetherin the control unit 620, as shown in FIG. 6A, or may be housed inseparate physical units.

As described previously, the aSC 230 a may control HVAC functionality,store configurations, and assign addresses during system autoconfiguration. The user interface 240 provides a communication interfaceto provide information to and receive commands from an operator. Thecomfort sensor 260 may measure one or more environmental attributes thataffect user comfort, e.g., ambient temperature, relative humidity (RH)and pressure. The three logical devices 230 a, 240, 260 each send andreceive messages over the communication bus 610 to other devicesattached thereto, and have their own addresses on the subnet 600A. Inmany cases, this design feature facilitates future system expansion andallows for seamless addition of multiple sensors or user interfaces onthe same subnet. For example, an upgraded subnet controller may beprovided with a replacement indoor unit. The upgraded subnet controllermay automatically take over operation of the subnet without removal of apreviously existing subnet controller. The aSC 230 a may be upgraded,e.g., via a firmware revision. The aSC 230 a may also be configured torelease control of the subnet 600A and effectively switch off shouldanother subnet controller present on the subnet 600A request it.

In another more generalized example, a system device 410 is preloadedwith feature or parameter data associated with another system device410. For instance, a replacement system device 410 may include featureor parameter data associated with a demand unit 155, e.g. the furnace120. The replacement device 410 in some cases may be an SC 230 includedwith a replacement demand unit 155. In various embodiments thereplacement system device 410 replaces a similar system device 410. Forexample, a similar device 410 may be a UI 240 replacing a UI 240, an SC230 replacing an SC 230, etc.

In some cases, the replacement system device 410 may replace a UI 240.The replacement UI 240 may include feature or parameter data associatedwith the demand unit 155. The feature or parameter data may include,e.g., parameter values, definitions and strings associated withoperation of the demand unit 155. The feature or parameter data held bythe replacement UI 240 may provide updates to functionality provided bythe demand unit 155, e.g.

The aSC 230 a may be configured to publish a first message to the demandunit 155 instructing the demand unit 155 to publish at least some of thefeature or parameter data stored thereby when the replacement UI 240 isinstalled in the system 100. In various embodiments, the first messageis published during a commissioning process of the system 100. In somecases, the aSC 230 a is configured to instruct the demand unit 155 topublish only those feature or parameter data not preloaded on thereplacement UI 240. The aSC 230 a may publish one or more messagesinstructing the replacement UI 240 to publish the preloaded data so thedemand unit 155 can determine those features or parameter data notincluded in the preloaded data set.

Configuring the control unit 620 as logical, independently addressableblocks advantageously provides flexibility in the configuration of thesubnet 600A. System control functions provided by the aSC 230 a may beplaced in any desired physical device, in this example the control unit620. Alternatively, e.g., the aSC controller 230 a could be placedwithin a physical enclosure of the furnace 120, while maintainingindependent addressability. The location of these control functionswithin any particular physical enclosure need not affect other aspectsof the subnet 600A. This abstraction provides for seamless upgrades tothe subnet 600A and ensures a high degree of backward compatibility ofthe devices present in the network. The approach provides forcentralized control of the system, without sacrificing flexibility orincurring large system upgrade costs.

For example, the use of the logical aSC 230 a provides a flexible meansof including multiple control units 150 on a same network in a sameconditioned space. The HVAC system, e.g., the system 100, may be easilyexpanded. The system retains backward compatibility, meaning the subnet600A may be updated with a completely new type of equipment without theneed to reconfigure the system. Moreover, the functions provided by thesubnet controller may be logically placed in any physical device, notjust the control unit 620. In some cases, where an upgrade requiressubnet controller functionality not provided by a subnet controlleralready present in the system 100, a new subnet controller may beinstalled in the system 100 without the need to remove a previouslyinstalled subnet controller. In some cases, the new subnet controllermay be installed, if desired, in new or replacement equipment. Thus, forexample, a replacement furnace having functionality not supported by aninstalled subnet controller may have an upgraded subnet controllerhaving the necessary functionality installed within the furnaceenclosure. When the furnace is installed in the HVAC system 100, thesubnet controller within the furnace may take control of the subnet onwhich the new furnace is installed, thereby providing the overall systemfunctionality required by the new furnace. The physical separability ofthe active subnet controller 230 a, the user interface 240, and thecomfort sensor 260 also provides the manufacturer of the subnet 600Agreater flexibility in selecting these devices, from various suppliers.

FIG. 8 illustrates a detailed connection diagram of components of anetwork 800 according to one embodiment of the disclosure. The network800 includes a subnet 810 and a subnet 850. The subnet 810 includes anair conditioning (AC) unit 815, a UI/G 820, an outside sensor (OS) 825,a furnace 830, and a control unit 835. The control unit 835 may house anaSC 230 a, a user interface 240 and a comfort sensor 260, each of whichis independently addressable via a data bus 180 a. The subnet 850includes a furnace 855, a heat pump 860 and a control unit 865. Thecontrol unit 865 houses an aSC 230 a, a user interface 240 and a comfortsensor 260, each of which is independently addressable via a data bus180 b. In various embodiments and in the illustrated embodiment eachindividual subnet, e.g., the subnets 810, 850, are each configured to bewired as a star network, with connections to all devices therein made ata furnace or air handler associated with that subnet. Thus, e.g., eachof the devices 815, 820, 825, 835 is connected to the data bus 180 a atthe furnace 830. Similarly, each device 860, 865 is connected to thesubnet 850 at the furnace 855. Each furnace 830, 855, generallyrepresentative of the indoor unit 148, may include a connection blockconfigured to accept a connection to the RSBus 180. For example, twoterminals of the connection block may be 4-pin connectors. In oneembodiment, one 4-pin connector is dedicated to connecting to an outdoorunit, for example the connection from the furnace 830 to the AC unit815. Another 4-pin connector is used to connect to equipment other thanthe outdoor unit, e.g., from the furnace 830 to the UI/G 820, the OS825, and the control unit 835. A third connector may be a 2-pinconnector configured to connect one subnet to another subnet. In thenetwork 800, e.g., the subnet 810 is connected to the subnet 850 via awire pair 870 that carries the i+/i− signals of the serial bus. Asdescribed previously with respect to the furnace 120, a transformerlocated at the furnace 830 may provide power to the various componentsof the subnet 810, and a transformer located at the furnace 855 mayprovide power to the various components of the subnet 850 via R and Clines. As illustrated, the C line may be locally grounded.

The description now turns to aspects of configuration of devices on theRSBus 180 (FIG. 2). Each system device 410 is configured to includevarious data useful in configuration and management of the system 100.The data may be stored, e.g., in nonvolatile memory located on thesystem device 410, e.g., the NVM 320. Stored parameters may include oneor more of those listed in Table I below, wherein some parameters areshown with a brief description of the purpose thereof. Each systemdevice 410 is preferably configured with these parameters by amanufacturer/supplier of the system device 410 prior to delivery to asystem integrator/installer.

TABLE 1 Parameter Detail Control Serial Number Control Part NumberSoftware Revision Number Hardware Revision Number Device Designator Aunique number, containing control's MAC layer address. Protocol RevisionNumber The revision of the RSBus specification that the device conformsto. The name of all device alarms in ASCII text format in all languagessupported. The text for all User Messages used in ASCII and/or Unicodetext format in all languages supported. Equipment Type name encoded inASCII and/or Unicode text format in all languages supported. The name ofall supported features and parameters in ASCII and/or Unicode textformat in all languages supported.

The system device 410 may optionally be configured to include theparameters shown in Table 2 either by the manufacturer/supplier or bythe integrator/installer.

TABLE 2 Parameter Detail Device Product Level Designation of thedevice's position in the integrator's product line. Equipment PartNumber A part number of HVAC equipment in which the device is installed.Equipment Serial Number A serial number of HVAC equipment in which thedevice is installed. Unit Capacity A thermal capacity of the HVACequipment in which the control is installed.

In various embodiments, one or more of the following design features maybe employed in the system device 410. Implementation of these featuresis within the ability of those skilled in the pertinent art. Asdescribed earlier, the system device 410 includes the NVM 320. Suchmemory may be used for various purposes, such as alarms or parameterstorage. The device may be configured by the manufacturer to default tosubnet 0, and have a subnet priority set to 0. The device 410 may beconfigured to write, read and erase the NVM 320. Of course this list ofdesign features is not exclusive of other design features within thescope of the disclosure.

Each device 410 may be configured to store various data in its NVM 320,including without limitation: parameter values pertaining to thatparticular device 410; relevant parameters pertaining to features orparameters of other devices 410 on the subnet; a value uniquelyidentifying the device 410 on the subnet (subnet ID); and a valueidentifying the equipment type of the device 410.

The following data may also be stored by the NVM 320, though the needfor persistent storage may be less than the aforementioned parameters:

Any relevant parameter values of other devices 410 in the subnet orother subnets

Data associated with any feature/functions provided by the device 410

The aforementioned parameters are generally regarded as privileged orcritical to the intended operation of the device 410. It is thusgenerally preferred that these parameters be clearly separated fromother information that may be stored in the NVM 320, such as currentalarms, diagnostic information, statistics, etc. The privileged/criticalparameters may also be protected by a checksum and/or CRC so that theintegrity of these data can be confirmed upon powering up the device410. In some cases, the SC 230 has separate CRCs for each device databackup. This enables the SC 230 to recover specific devicesindependently if needed when acting as the aSC 230 a.

Each device 410 typically has a receive buffer to accommodate transferprotocol data transfers. The buffer may be provided, e.g., by the RAM330. It may be preferred that the buffer be at least 256 bytes deep. Theneeded depth may be significantly greater for a device that supportsmulti-channel transfer protocol.

In some cases, the device 410 may provide textual information to a userin the form of informational, alert and/or alarm strings. Suchfunctionality may be provided, e.g., by the UI 240, but a display may beincluded on any device 410 as desired. The system 100 may be implementedto support any written language desired. Typically, the choice oflanguage is driven by market factors. Thus, in the North Americanmarket, the system may be configured to support English, Spanish and/orFrench. One language, e.g. English, may be selected as a primary/defaultlanguage, with the system 100 providing any number of optional secondarylanguages upon a user action to select the secondary language desiredfor a particular locus. Thus, each user interface 240 or UI/G 250 to thesystem can be configured in a different language, as desired by thelocal device operator. Multiple user interfaces 240 and UI/Gs 250 canco-exist, each using a different language. Thus, for example, one UI 240located at a first location in a premises may display messages inEnglish, while another UI 240 in the same or a different subnet andlocated at a second different location in the premises may displaymessages in Spanish.

Each device may include character string representations of its alarms,parameter, feature, user messages, etc. encoded in all supportedlanguages and stored in the NVM 320. Additionally, the UI/G 250 maylocally store names of supported alarms, parameter and feature sets inone or all supported languages. Local storage advantageously reduces theamount of traffic on the network and facilitates quicker interfacingwith the user.

In an embodiment, a plurality of user messages are identified by uniquenumbers, referred to herein as text IDs. The user messages are stored ascharacter strings. A text ID may be used as a pointer to a characterstring stored in memory. The actual text strings associated with thetext IDs may be customized for a particular language configuration. Aparticular message may be regarded as being any character string thatconveys a particular concept. For example, the concept “comfort sensorerror” may be rendered in any number of written languages, but eachrendering is the same message, because each conveys the concept renderedin English as “comfort sensor error.”

The plurality of stored character strings may include a number ofdifferent messages, each being rendered in at least one, but typicallytwo or more languages. The message strings can be stored on the UI 240or in another device 410. When the UI 240 is to display a characterstring in a given language, it may issue a request that includes a textID corresponding to that message to the device 410 on which thecharacter string corresponding to that message is stored. A language IDvalue may also be sent to identify the desired language. The device 410that receives the request may then provide the requested string, e.g.,the desired message rendered in the desired language, over the RSBus180. The character string may then be displayed by the UI 240.Optionally, the character string may be buffered by the UI 240, e.g., inthe RAM 330, or may be stored locally by the UI 240 so retrieval fromanother device 410 is not necessary.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method generally designated 900 of manufacturing anHVAC data processing a communication network to display messages in oneor more of a plurality of languages. The method 900 is described withoutlimitation with reference to components of the network 200. The method900 begins with a step 910 that may be entered from any appropriatestate of the system 100. In a step 920, the device 410 is configured tostore a plurality of character strings. The strings may include, e.g.,status or error messages. In a step 930, the device 410 is furtherconfigured to associate a text ID with each of the character strings. Ina step 940 the device is further configured to recall a predeterminedcharacter string in response to receiving a first message, via thenetwork 200, that includes a predetermined text ID associated with thepredetermined character string. In some embodiments, the first messagealso includes a language ID. In a step 950 the device is furtherconfigured to send, via the network, a second message including thepredetermined character string. The second message may be received,e.g., by the UI 240 and displayed thereby. The method 900 ends withstate 960 from which a calling routine may resume operation.

The system 100 may be configured to limit allowed configurations ofdevices 410. For example, it may be determined that certainconfigurations of the system 100 are undesirable or incompatible withproper operation of the various devices 410. In various embodiments,initialization of the system 100 includes a commissioning operation in acommissioning state in which the various devices 410 in the subnet areassigned credentials to operate on the subnet. The aSC 230 a may beconfigured to ignore a request made during the commissioning state froma device 410 outside a permitted configuration set from registering withthe SC 230 to prevent undesired or unpredictable operation that mightotherwise result.

In some cases, the aSC 230 a is configured to allow only one instance ofa type of device 410 to operate on a subnet. For example, the followingdevice 410 types are generally limited to a single instance in thesystem 100: a furnace, a coil blower (a.k.a. an air handler), a twinningkit, and a furnace equipment interface module. In some cases, e.g., thislimitation results in exclusion of a system 100 configured with afurnace and a coil blower, or with two furnaces (without the twinningkit). The aSC 230 a may be configured to register only one instance ofthese devices on the network subnet, optionally in the following order:twinning kit, furnace, coil blower, and furnace equipment interfacemodule.

Generally, it is also desirable to limit the system 100 to include onlyone outdoor unit per subnet, e.g., the condenser coils/compressor 140,unless a twinning kit is used. Thus, e.g., a system 100 operating with asingle subnet may be configured to exclude a configuration that includesa separate air conditioner and a heat pump/air conditioner. The aSC 230a may be configured to register only one of these devices on the subnet,and to optionally do so in the following order: heat pump/airconditioner, stand-alone air conditioner, and dual-fuel interfacemodule.

As described earlier, the number of physical devices may be limited to adesired number, e.g., 32. However, such limitations may not be necessarywith respect to logical devices. In some embodiments, there is no limiton number of logical devices in each physical device, other than a limitimposed by address space in a message string.

HVAC functions performed by the devices 410 may be classified intogroups called services. A service is a distinct function performed bythe system 100 with a goal to provide certain functionality to the user.In most cases, this functionality includes maintaining a temperature,and optionally an RH, in the conditioned space.

The devices 410 may be configured to implement a protocol referred toherein and in the claims as an RSBus Protocol Stack. FIG. 10 illustratesan example protocol stack, generally designated 1000. It may bepreferable from the viewpoint of a system integrator that componentsuppliers comply with the architecture embodied by the RSBus ProtocolStack to improve quality of system testing and product reliability.

An application 1010 interacts with the protocol stack 1000. Theapplication 1010 may be an HVAC application, e.g., a set of controlroutines, running the aSC 230 a to operate the system 100 to maintain atemperature of a living area. The interface between the application 1010and the stack 1000 may be implemented using three function calls, e.g.,as follows:

a send function 1012 initiated by the application 1010 to allow sendingdata on the data bus 180, or requesting data from the data bus 180,

a callback function 1014 initiated by the stack 1000 to inform theapplication 1010 of a relevant event, and

a control/status function 1016 initiated by the application 1010 tocheck or change the state of the stack 1000.

The stack 1000 consists of four layers. A first layer 1020 is an RSBusabstraction layer. In the layer 1020 specific data are translated intomanageable function calls. The layer 1020 may be associated withdedicated resources 1025, including RAM and NVM. A second layer 1030 isa network layer. The layer 1030 may be implemented by a network protocolsuch as CAN, and may be based on an appropriate standard such asISO-15765-2. The layer 1030 may be associated with dedicated resources1035, including RAM and NVM. A third layer 1040 is a data link layer.The layer 1040 may be implemented by a data link protocol such as CAN,and may include a microprocessor CAN cell, CAN driver software, and mayinclude bus transmission error handling. The layer 1040 may beassociated with dedicated resources 1045, including RAM and NVM. Afourth layer 1050 is a physical layer. The layer 1050 includes suchphysical elements as bus wires, RSBus connectors, the RSBus interfacecircuit such as the circuit 530, and CAN transceivers such as thetransceiver 520.

Turning now to FIG. 11, illustrated is a method generally designated1100 of conveying information related to relative humidity to a displayscreen. In some embodiments the method is used in a diagnostic mode ofthe system 100. A method of manufacturing the system 100 may includeconfiguring appropriate components thereof to implement the method 1100.The method 1100 is illustrative of acquisition and display of data bythe UI 240. In a step 1110, a device 410 that includes a means ofcapturing a parameter of interest acquires the parameter value. Forexample, a device 410 may include a temperature and RH sensor. Thedevice 410 acquires the current ambient temperature and RH and in a step1120 forms a message including the temperature and RH data. In a step1130 the device 410 publishes the message on the RSBus 180. Thepublishing may be in response to a periodic update schedule, e.g., everyminute. The device 410 may optionally include data indicating that thetemperature or RH value is an indoor or an outdoor value. In a step1140, the UI 240 reads the message. The UI 240 may be configured tomonitor all messages from the device 410 and parse the messages todetermine a course of action. In the current example, the UI 240determines that the message includes temperature and/or humidity, andwhether the data pertains to an indoor or outdoor ambient. In a step1150, the UI 240 formats and displays the data on a display. The displaymay be, e.g., a component of a wall-mounted controller.

In one embodiment, the UI 240 reads four messages that are sent from theSC 230 to populate indoor/outdoor temperature and RH values on thedisplay. Thus, the SC 230 generates one message for each indoor andoutdoor temperature and RH. The SC 230 may acquire the temperature andRH data from a comfort sensor 260, e.g., interpret the data and thenformat the messages and then to the UI 240 over the RSBus 180.

In one embodiment, a level of abstraction is employed between a device410 reporting a feature or parameter, e.g., temperature, and the UI 240.Thus, for example, information about features and parameters, such asfeature/parameter lists, values, formats, text strings and limits may bestored within the device 410. The UI 240 need not store any of thesedata locally. When a device 410 is commissioned, e.g. configured atinstallation, the information stored thereon may be obtained by the UI240 via a series of messages generated by the device 410.

This approach advantageously simplifies expandability, because when adevice 410 is added or modified the UI 240 software need not beupgraded. Moreover, separate messages may be used to transfer aplurality of definitions and strings to the UI 240. The volume of datatransferred, and the resulting time required to commission the device410, may be reduced when the UI 240 is preloaded with certain featureand parameter definitions, such as a format or name.

FIG. 12 illustrates a method generally designated 1200 for manufacturingan HVAC data processing a communication network. The method 1200 isdescribed without limitation with reference to components of the network200. The method 1200 begins with a step 1210 that may be entered fromany appropriate state of the system 100. In a step 1220, the device 410is configured to locally store feature or parameter data related to anoperation thereof. In a step 1230, the SC 230 is configured to directthe device 410 to publish the data to the network 200, e.g., to otherdevices therein configured to listen to and read messages containing thefeature or parameter data. The method 1200 ends with state 1240 fromwhich a calling routine may resume operation.

Turning now to FIG. 13, illustrated is a state diagram 1300 thatdescribes aspects of various embodiments of operation of the system 100.The state diagram 1300 may be implemented, e.g., as a state machine suchas a microcontroller. The state diagram 1300 generally brings the system100 from a reset state 1310, such as may be entered immediately uponpowering up, to an operating normal operating state 1360. The statediagram 1300 advances from the reset state 1310 to a subnet startupstate 1320. In the state 1320, the aSC 230 a may, e.g., provide messagesto devices 410 in the network 200 to synchronize the devices 410 witheach other. The state diagram 1300 advances from the state 1320 to acommissioning state 1330. In the state 1330, as described further below,the aSC 230 a may invoke a commissioning process to install operatingparameters in the various devices 410. The state diagram 1300 advancesfrom the state 1330 to an installer test state 1340. In the state 1340,the aSC 230 a may test the functionality of the various devices 410. Thestate diagram 1300 advances from the state 1340 to a link state 1350. Inthe state 1350, the subnet controllers of a plurality of subnets maylink the subnets for proper operation. The state diagram 1300 advancesfrom the state 1350 to a normal operation state 1360. In the state 1360,the device 410 operates normally to, e.g., actively control thetemperature of the premises in which the system 100 is installed. It isexpected that the system 100 will operate in the state 1360 for the vastmajority of its operating life.

The commissioning process differs from subnet startup 1320 in that theformer requires that the network configuration steps, e.g., the subnetstartup state 1320, have been completed before commissioning can start.In some circumstances, beyond the scope of this discussion, the state1320 may advance directly to the installer test state 1340 as indicatedby a transition 1325. The commissioning process may be, e.g., a numberof states of a state machine or microprocessor configured to executevarious commands. Included in the state machine states may be two statesreferred to for convenience as a Parameter_Scan state and aParameter_Update state.

In the Parameter_Scan state, the active subnet controller, e.g., the aSC230 a, may direct all devices 410 via bus messages to publish currentvalues of some or all of their locally stored parameters. The publishingmay include an indication of whether the queried device 410 is enabledor disabled. The queries may be generated sequentially, once per queriedparameter, and may result in a separate response from the queried device410 to each query. The SC 230 may then relay the responses to the UI 240or UI/G 250, as applicable. The UI 240 or UI/G 250 may then update itsmemory to reflect the status of the latest parameter values.

The system 100 may configure the devices 410 in a configuration mode,which may be one or more subroutines that operate as a result ofpower-up, e.g. In the configuration mode, the UI 240 or UI/G 250 mayinterpret the data acquired from the devices 410 in the Parameter_Scanstate to determine if there is any ambiguity or conflict among the data,such as regarding the parameter data format, definition or name. The UI240 or the UI/G 250 may be configured to query the device 410 that isthe source of the ambiguity or conflict for further information on eachparameter. When any ambiguities or conflicts are resolved, the UI/G 250may advance to the Parameter_Update state.

In the Parameter_Update state, the SC 230 (aSC) the installer (a servicetechnician, e.g.) may interact with each device of the system 100 viathe UI 240 and update installer parameters thereon. (The followingdescription also pertains to embodiments in which the installercommunicates with the system 100 via the UI/G 250.) Installer parametersmay include, e.g., various adjustable values that determine aspects ofperformance of the system 100 that may be modified by the installer.

In some cases, one parameter on a first device 410 may depend on thestate of another parameter on the first device 410, or on a parameter ona different second device 410. A parameter X that resides in a firstdevice 410, “device A,” is a dependent parameter of a second device 410,“device B,” if device B requires the current value of parameter X forproper operation. Such a dependent parameter is referred to as across-dependent parameter. For example, a heat pump may have a parameterthat indicates a cooling or heating capacity. An air handler may beconfigured to provide air flow in proportion to the heating or coolingcapacity of the heat pump. In this case, the capacity parameter is across-dependent parameter of the air handler.

In some embodiments, during the commissioning state 1330, each device410 publishes its parameter values one by one over the data bus 180.Other devices update themselves with any needed dependent parametervalues by listening to the messages on the data bus 180 while a scanningstep, described further below, is in progress. The aSC 230 a may thenrequest confirmation from each device 410 that each needed dependentparameter values has been obtained by that device 410.

In some cases, however, a dependent parameter value on device B maybecome invalid if an installer changes that value manually on device Aduring the commissioning process. In some embodiments, the UI 240advantageously interrogates each device 410 for a list of dependentparameters upon which that device relies for proper operation. If theinstaller modifies any of these dependent parameters, e.g., a parameteron device A that is a dependent parameter of device B, the UI 240provides the updated parameter to the affected device, e.g., device B,as soon as the original device, e.g., device A, confirms that new valueis accepted.

A device 410 may have a parameter that depends on the value of anotherparameter on the device 410. For example, a furnace with an integratedblower may scale the blower output to the furnace capacity. The blowermay be associated with a parameter A10 that is proportional to aparameter A1 associated with the furnace capacity. The parameter A10 isan “internally dependent” parameter. In some cases, another device 410,e.g. UI 240, may have a need for the value of an internally dependentparameter of another device 410, e.g., the IFC 220. For example, the UI240 may display the value of the internally dependent parameter to theinstaller upon request.

During the commissioning state 1330, a scanning step may be performed inwhich each device 410 publishes its parameter values over the data bus180. Other devices 410 are configured to listen for parameters that arerelevant to their operation. The listening devices update themselveswith any needed parameter values when they recognize a relevantparameter message as being relevant. The aSC 230 a then instructs, viaan appropriately configured message, each device 410 to publish theidentity of any needed dependent parameters missed during the scanningstep. The aSC 230 a may then direct the appropriate device holding theneeded parameter to publish that parameter.

Some device parameters may need to be configured differently dependingon the presence or state of other components in the system 100. Forexample, as described earlier, an air handler 110 blower capacity may beset differently for heat pumps that have different heating and coolingcapacities.

The device 410 may address this issue by looking at the publishedfeatures and parameters from all other relevant devices 410 on thesubnet. Continuing the example of the blower, the air handler 110 blowercan determine the type of outdoor unit it is matched with from thecommissioning process. The air handler 110 may then self-configure tothe extent of adjusting its parameters according to the data known toit. The air handler 110 may then send the parameters resulting from theself-configuration to the SC 230, the UI 240 and the UI/G 250 so thesedevices have a correct record of the air handler 110 parameters.

FIG. 14 illustrates a method of the disclosure generally designated 1400of automatically updating a device parameter. The method 1400 beginswith a step 1410, which may be entered, e.g., during a configurationstate of the system 100. In a step 1420, the UI 240 sends a new value ofa parameter B1 to the IFC 220. The IFC 220 has a cross-dependentparameter A1 that depends on the value of B1. The IFC 220 also has aninternally dependent parameter A10 that depends on the value of A1. In astep 1430 the IFC 220 sets the value of A1 as appropriate to the valueof B1, and the value of A10 as appropriate to the value of A1. In a step1440, the IFC 220 sends the updated value of A10 first to the UI 240. Ina step 1450, the IFC 220 sends the updated value of A1 to the UI 240.Then, in a step 1460, acknowledges the receipt of the parameter B1 by,e.g., sending a message to the UI 240 including the value of B1. Themethod 1400 ends with a step 1470 from which operation of a callingroutine may resume.

The method 1400 advantageously communicates the dependency of A10 on A1to the UI 240. In various embodiments, the UI 240 would otherwise haveno knowledge of the existence of A10 since it is an internally dependentparameter. The UI 240 may have knowledge of the dependence of A1 on B2after completion of the scanning step. Thus, the UI 240 may expect toreceive the value of A1 prior to the acknowledgement of B1. In thepresent embodiment, the UI 240 is configured to recognize the receipt ofA10 prior to A1 as indicating the dependence of A10 on A1. The UI 240may then properly handle the parameter A10, including, e.g., displayingthe value thereof.

In some cases, parameters of the device 410 may be cross-dependentacross multiple devices. For example, parameter AP1 from device A isdependent on parameter BP2 in device B, but BP2 may in turn be dependenton the value of a parameter CP3 from device C. If CP3 is changed, AP1and BP2 may both be affected. In some preferred embodiments both AP1 andBP2 are checked and corrected if necessary. Parameters that change basedon the change of an intervening dependent parameter are referred to assecondary parameters. In many cases it may be desirable to inform theuser or installer of the existence of secondary parameters to ensurethat such parameters are properly configured.

FIG. 15 illustrates a method generally designated 1500 of displayingparameter dependencies to the user on the UI 240 that advantageouslyinforms the user or installer of changes to secondary parameters. In astep 1510 the UI 240 changes a parameter value on a device 410, e.g., A.In a step 1520, the device 410 that owns A, and/or other devices 410,sends the updated values of secondary parameters to the UI 240. In astep 1530, the UI 240 displays the secondary parameter and highlightsparameter values associated therewith. In a step 1540, the UI 240 forcesthe user to acknowledge the secondary parameter values. The forcing maytake the form, e.g., of requiring the user to confirm the value beforethe UI 240 exits the menu item in which the parameter values are beingdisplayed. In some embodiments, the UI forces the user to confirm thevalue of each secondary parameter.

Conventional HVAC systems require a manual assignment of interface IDsof a temperature sensor and a user interface via a user-selectablehardware device, such as a dip switch, jumper wire, or the like. Thus,conventional procedure is generally undesirable in the context ofembodiments of the disclosure, wherein simplicity of configuration andself-configuration are broad objectives.

Accordingly, a method of the disclosure provides a means forautomatically selecting and assigning comfort sensor and UI IDs.Broadly, the method employs a physical address of a device 410 (e.g. acomfort sensor 260 or a user interface 240) as well as a bus addressthereof to assign an ID to the device 410. An equipment ID is generatedtherefrom and embedded in an equipment type number.

In one embodiment, a comfort sensor 260 and a UI 240 are physicallylocated in a same physical package, e.g. a wall-mountable enclosure.Devices located in a same physical package share a same physical addressreferred to herein as a device designator (DD). Thus, the CD and the UIshare a same physical address. However, two such devices may have adifferent logical address.

FIG. 16 illustrates a method of the disclosure generally designated 1600of manufacturing an HVAC system, e.g. the system 100. In a step 1610,the system 100 assigns to each UI 240 during a system initializationprocess a unique address, referred to herein as a UIID. In a step 1620this unique address is embedded in an equipment type number and thenassigned to the UI 240. The UI with the largest DD is assigned thehighest (or lowest) available ID, which is dependent on the total numberof devices discovered in the system. Another UI, if present, is assignedthe next highest (or lower) available ID. The assignment process isrepeated until all UI devices are assigned a UIID. The UI equipment typenumber is computed as a sum of the UIID and a first hexadecimal offsetvalue selected for use with user interfaces. In a nonlimiting examplefor discussion purposes, the first hexadecimal value is $Offset1, andthe UI equipment type number is determined as:UI Equipment Type Number=UIID+$Offset1.

In a step 1630, the system 100 assigns each comfort sensor 260 a uniquecomfort sensor ID, CSID, that is embedded in the equipment type numberof the CS. For a CS embedded in a control unit, the system 100 sets theCSID equal to the UIID of the associated control unit. The comfortsensor 260 may be reported to the installer/user with the CSID.

The equipment type number of the CS is then determined as a sum of theCSID and a second hexadecimal value selected for use with comfortsensors 260. In a nonlimiting example for discussion purposes, thesecond hexadecimal value is $Offset2, and the CS equipment type numberis determined as:CS Equipment Type Number=CSID+$Offset2.

In a step 1640, the CS equipment type number is assigned to the CS.

The values of $Offset1 and $Offset2 may be determined by system designconsiderations.

When the UI and the CS are not physically located in the same enclosure,the system 100 may assign during subnet startup a unique address and IDto each UI and CS. The address may then be embedded in the equipmenttype. For each UI and CS a device ID may be determined by an arbitrationscheme as described previously. The device equipment number, e.g. theCSID or the UIID, is then determined as the device ID determined via thearbitration scheme plus a base equipment type number.

Those skilled in the art to which this application relates willappreciate that other and further additions, deletions, substitutionsand modifications may be made to the described embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing an HVAC data processingand communication system, comprising: configuring a user interface to:receive a first parameter setting associated with a system deviceaddressable by said user interface via a network data bus, said networkdata bus being configurable to interconnect a plurality of systemdevices; send a first message to said system device via said networkdata bus, said first message including said first parameter setting;receive a second message from said system device via said network databus, said second message including a second parameter setting that isdependent on said first parameter setting; alter a display screen tomake said second parameter setting available for viewing; and configuresaid user interface to make said second parameter available for viewinguntil said second parameter setting is acknowledged wherein data entryvia said user interface is disabled until said second parameter settingis acknowledged.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein saidsecond parameter setting is acknowledged by selecting a touch sensitivelocation on a display screen.
 3. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein said second parameter setting is acknowledged by selecting adisplay field of a remote display terminal.
 4. The method as recited inclaim 1, further comprising configuring said user interface to highlightsaid second parameter setting.
 5. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein said user interface is an internet gateway.
 6. The method asrecited in claim 1, wherein said user interface includes a web browser.7. An HVAC data processing and communication system, comprising: aprocessor; and a user interface configured to: receive a first parametersetting associated with a system device addressable by said userinterface via a network data bus, said network data bus beingconfigurable to interconnect a plurality of system devices; send a firstmessage to said system device via said network data bus, said firstmessage including said first parameter setting; receive a second messagefrom said system device via said network data bus, said second messageincluding a second parameter setting that is dependent on said firstparameter setting; and alter a display portion of a display screen tomake said second parameter setting available for viewing wherein saiduser interface is further configured to make said second parameteravailable for viewing until said second parameter setting isacknowledged and wherein data entry via said user interface is disableduntil said second parameter setting is acknowledged.
 8. The system asrecited in claim 1, wherein said second parameter setting isacknowledged by selecting a touch sensitive location on said displayscreen.
 9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said secondparameter setting is acknowledged by selecting a display field of aremote display terminal.
 10. The system as recited in claim 7, whereinsaid user interface is further configured to highlight said secondparameter setting.
 11. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein saiduser interface includes an internet gateway.
 12. The system as recitedin claim 7, wherein said user interface includes a web browser.